My First Scrap Book Pages

I feel like a little kid who made their first art class project and fell in love with paste.  Actually takes me back to when I fell in love with the fun of creating art with felt cut outs and Color-forms. Remember them!?!  Oh I can just smell the Play-Doh!

This is my first attempt at Digital Scrap booking. A few months ago I did not even know what that term meant. In the past two years that I have been learning about Photoshop, I often saw references to digital scrap booking, usually on "brush" sites. Sure I'd seen the multiple aisles in 'Michael's' dedicated to old fashioned scrap books. I even bought a number of beautiful paper stacks to use for my wedding signs last year. Eventually I hope to make a scrap photo book about my own wedding with these beautiful papers.  There is a mini collection of elements and paper stacks on a shelf in the studio.  But, still I wondered what is this 'Digital" version of scrap books?

Finally I decided to ask on a Photoshop Brushes page what is "it" ???  Only one kind person responded to me.  I had asked "did these scrap bookers just post their digital pages online, or did they print them out?" This person said the answer was both, depending on the person's choice. People can print them out on a scanner and make a physical book themselves. What really caught my attention was that you can have your scrap book printed at many POD photo book companies including Blurb.  I had already downloaded the Blurb software months ago, since I planned on making hard cover books of my Wedding and Baby photos. So this news intrigued me.  I still do not know where scrap bookers might display their pages online other than perhaps in a flicker group.

Off I went, in search of digital scrap page information and found some scrap booking blogs.  Well actually lots of them!  Most styles were not for me, but then I found 'Mystique Designs'!  Wow!  I really loved the look of Brydka's work and how her creative team were arranging their own pages with her elements.  These gals were very design savvy and creative. I do not have time to design and make everything in my life. So making use of another artists talent is a big time saver! This digital work becomes a co-creation in the end.

'Mystique Designs' provides backgrounds, full kits and quick pages all for sale at very reasonable prices.  With every new kit design released on her blog, Brydka gives away freebie downloads for anyone...  That is how I started, with two of 'Mystique Designs' free downloads.  One was just a background and the other was a quick page.  I played with photos of the grand baby and then was hooked!  What's a fairy grandmother to do? Well... I went over to the store at 'Oscraps' and bought a variety of 'Mystique Designs' kits and backgrounds during one of her great sales...that's what!

 
I have been sick the past week, and I wanted something to do where I did not have to think.  I thought this would be good time to check out the kits I bought and just play.  I just let whatever popped into my head flow onto the pages.  There was no plan.  God would design the pages for me and I would follow along having a blast!  This was so much fun!  It feels like solving a playful puzzle, and getting a beautiful prize at the end.  Plus I now have started my own collection of memory pages! One thing leads to another! Ben is enjoying looking at my pages too. And isn't that the point of making such things?

'Mystique Designs' kits have a large amount of pre-made elements on PNG files.  You just plop down and transform the size of the items to your desire.  Easy!  I found I could mix and match the items from her various kits as well.  I only used a few elements from the kits, and I can see that there are going to be endless ways to arrange them on a page.  I added a few photoshop brushes from Obsidian Dawn and GBG here and there, and by the way both of those brush web sites have freebies. I quickly realized this is a very good way to practice your photoshop skills with no pressure.  You can always go back in a few days to tweak and change your mind about your page arrangement when you create a digital page. I just love that!

The quick pages are just that...quick!  The PNG QP pages come ready made with nicely designed frames already in the background.  Just make your own 12 x 12 Photoshop document, add a layer and paste in a copy of the PNG QP.  Slide your photos under this layer, add some type, and your new page could be finished that quick.  
I tend to keep going.....and going......and going........

Visit 'Mystique Designs' and look over her wonderful collection and be inspired.  She is making new designs amazingly fast! Get yourself some of her cool freebies, which for those people who need them, include free blog designs too.  You can find other styles of scrap pages at 'Oscraps' where there are many artists making digital scrap booking kits for sale.  Some are modern and some more traditional.  Another scrap artist whose design work I enjoy, and also has freebies, is called 'Mary Pop.' If you have trouble designing your pages, you can get ideas from both 'Mystique Designs' and 'Mary Pop's' creative team (CT) by perusing their blogs.  

 
If you are a good seeker on the internet you can find lots of freebies out there!  Some are only available for a limited amount of time. Others remain like golden eggs, waiting for you to find them! Once you discover something you really like it is nice to support an artistic entrepreneur by buying something of theirs too. All the digital scrap book pages shown on this digital scrap book blog post were created with various 'Mystique Design' elements and backgrounds. (Every Time, Glorious Spring, Faith, Secret Life, Spending, Enchanted, Romatical Album, My Biggest Wish, Beside You, and 1001 Dreams) 

I think the next time I make some digital scrap book pages, I will try using some of the ephemera I have found online to make some funky vintage digital scrap book designs. Have fun creating your own digital memory pages and feel the love of freebies!